The Chinese government has issued a directive prohibiting minors from playing online video games to three hours a week.
Yeah, you read that correctly.
The Chinese government immediately ordered gaming companies to restrict their steaming hours to 8 til 9 p.m. daily. Two hours on the weekends.
I assume most of you find that ruling oppressive, nonsensical, and even racist—given we’re talking about the oppression of children of the ‘yellow race.’
Since most Black Millennial parents grew up spending inordinate time playing video games when they were not being brainwashed by destructive gangsta rap music or learning which former stripper ‘twerked’ her way to a music contract, they probably ignored their children walking in their footsteps.
Their offspring identifying more with ‘Two Quarters’ (rapper 50 Cent) than 19th century abolitionist Frederick Douglass is of no concern to them. Nor is the telling indicator that their children never bring books home from school.
Most probably didn’t find it shocking when a pre-teen said after killing a friend, ‘he’ll be back tomorrow,’ referring to his ability to hit the ‘restart’ button when the ‘game’ ends.
I’m far from a conservative, and I have fought censorship and parental rights for decades. Still, at some point, I find it disingenuous that many of our children can recite the lyrics of a gangsta rap callously referring to sisters as bitches and hoes but have never been introduced to the eloquent words of James Baldwin or Terry McMillan.
I am also distressed that most Black parents accept the failing educational status quo and don’t see the link between their child’s inability to read or recite Frederick Douglass’ brilliant ‘Fourth of July speech’ (‘What to The Slave is the Fourth of July?’) and those callouses on their thumbs from gaming.
But then again, I don’t expect a retort from them since most can’t or don’t read themselves, freeing me to say what I want about them in this column.
My hope is you will take heed and do something besides complaint or criticize.
Toward that end, let’s explore the Chinese intrusion into the personal lives of its young citizens a little closer.
I must admit when I initially read the article about the Chinese government’s (中华人民共和国政府 in Mandarin…I meant ‘the new Mandate’) , I was taken aback.
And it wasn’t because I read it while trying to reach my 10,000 steps on the treadmill.
My first reaction was one of confusion. And then anger. And finally, cultural analyzation.
I immediately slowed my stride, thinking of how advanced academically and intellectually the Chinese were over Americans.
And culturally, the Chinese and African Americans are in totally different spheres.
The People’s Republic is no doubt controlling and oppressive, but Black America is in no position to criticize given our perpetual state of cultural dysfunctionality.
At that point, I recalled a conversation I had with my grandson, Ah’meer, weeks after he returned from China as part of a student exchange program.
(Yeah, a Black teen spending time to study in China! That experience was made possible because Ah’meer spent as much time in his books as he did watching booties.)
One conversation stood out.
After dinner one night, he asked his student mentor what Chinese kids did for recreation after school.
Most Chinese learn English as a second language, but they probably didn’t know much Black English, so, Ah’meer wasn’t totally surprised when his Chinese counterpart looked puzzled by his question before responding, ‘study.’
Assuming he was misunderstood, Ah’meer repeated his question, only to get the same answer.
Ultimately, his new Chinese friend broke it down this way: While teenagers did engage in leisurely activities, education took priority over all other endeavors, and thus most of their ‘free time was spent filing their intellectual glasses.
That paradigm is in stark contrast to the reality in much of Black America. Or should I say much of the impoverished and culturally deficit Black community?
Though we hate to admit it, a large segment of our community believes that speaking proper English is to talk ‘White’ (unless your primary language is Wolof or Dagbani, and then you are given a pass).
Along the same lines, it was not long ago that I voted against Messmer Catholic schools introducing uniforms because I thought our children would be stigmatized and ridiculed when returning home from school. Many had complained about being outed for carrying book bags—with real books in them.
Any fool can see that educational apartheid continues to exist in urban America. But it exists in part because we don’t’ value education, as the Chinese do.
And most of us don’t have the willingness or desire to push our children to excel or find someone to help them reach their God-given talent level.
Obviously, the higher the family income, level of spirituality, and African cultural recognition, the greater the probability that parents will encourage and motivate their children to achieve academically.
But you need to look at the data to realize those Black children who do excel are in the minority. The majority are created by the system and their parent(s).
I read several studies in the last few years that revealed education reduces criminality, poverty, and self-hatred.
And if that’s not enough of an inducement to the sisters looking for a mate, one report posited that educated males make better lovers.
I won’t get into the specifics; just trust me.
Educated brothers are also more likely to use protection, and if they do have children outside of marriage, they are more likely to pay child support and raise that child.
Anyway, back to the subject.
Chinese students, in general, are better educated in part because they are more disciplined, motivated, and inspired.
That explains why a disproportionate percentage of Chinese Americans are in college. It also elucidates why several sued to end affirmative action programs at major universities.
Can you imagine the average Black parent trying to restrict their child’s gaming and social media use?
Hell, can you envision Black parents requiring their children to read something besides Rap Magazines or Instagram?
Be honest and tell me how many Black parents take their infant child to the library in the summer. Or restrict their television sets to PBS or a learning channel.
I recall a Black celebrity revealing he and his wife did that for—or is it to—their children. He said he made his children read a non-fiction book every day and pray before going to sleep.
Wow, that’s a novel.
General television time was a family occasion, the Black celebrity said, adding attending church and cultural events were likewise.
Many Black parents probably never thought of saving to take their child to the DuSable Museum in Chicago, much less the Museum of African American History in D.C.
Hell, they won’t spend weed money to take their children to the Holocaust Museum here.
The celebrity and his wife allowed their children to listen to music, but if he heard the derogatory words ‘nigger’ (n-word) or ‘bitch,’ it was shut-down time, discussion time.
I read about that several years ago. I don’t know how the celebrity’s children turned out, but I would guess they attended college and are in careers most of us can only envision.
Did they suffer en route to success? Will the Chinese students benefit or lose out because of the new ruling?
As I understand it, the Chinese government implemented the new mandate to supposedly stop or at least slow gaming addiction among the 100 million children who spend inordinate time on gaming.
The Communist government also limited the amount children can spend on gaming to $57.
Some also believe this latest big nanny dictate will result in Chinese youth focusing more on their academics.
The Chinese government has put the onus for achieving its goals on the backs of the gaming industry. But it is not foolproof.
In fact, I assume it will eventually backfire, as these intellectual superheroes will indeed find a way to get around the gaming restrictions.
That said, I see value in a culture that promotes excellence, education, and intellect. I don’t’ agree with the Chinese methodology to achieve that goal, nor with their communist government in general.
But in some respects, Chinese culture should be emulated by us.
Many bigots posit African Americans are intellectually inferior, a label they attached to us before they took over the world.
Bigots cite statistics showing us at the bottom in all academic categories. And for that matter, they could use Milwaukee data to substantiate their belief.
Milwaukee is near the top-bottom nationally in graduation rates for African American students attending government schools. We are also holding the short of the stick hovering over the racial academic achievement gap.
Most tellingly, Milwaukee is home to the lowest Black reading proficiency rates for Black fourth and eighth-graders in the entire United States of America.
I reject the Bell Curve and other excuses for that reality. Our brains are not smaller, and it was our ancestors invented math, science, and medicine.
Of course, that was before the Europeans invaded Africa and stole everything but our poverty.
We are at the bottom because of educational apartheid, maintained by Democrats and Republicans alike. We are at floor level because many teachers (White and Black) have low expectations for us and teach to that paradigm.
And we are victims of a Culture of Poverty, parental acceptance of failure, and a dysfunctional family structure.
Yeah, I disagree with the mandates of the Chinese. But I wouldn’t have a problem with similar censorships and forced education for a generation or two to get us back on track.
I learned of the Chinese government’s new mandate because I read even while on the treadmill. If you think about it, that means I’m going forward intellectually while going nowhere physically.
I hope our children are not caught up in that contradiction.
Hotep.
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